Hollow Hill

Gilson Road Cemetery, NH – 9. Afterthoughts (2008)

2008 was a turning point for haunted Gilson Road Cemetery.

Except for a notable number of new houses and subdivisions in the area, little has changed… with one big exception.

The denser wooded area in back of the cemetery seems to provide the illusion of cover for the spirits who visit during daytime hours.

While we were there, we noted several figures moving stealthily in the woods. Most of them were about 20 or 25 feet behind the back cemetery wall.

I also saw a momentary flash (residual energy?) of a Native gentleman. He’d appeared to us in the same place – the back left corner (where there’s a break in the wall) – during a 2003 visit to Gilson.

The Lawrence headstones have remained among the most active in the cemetery. Many of our photos showed orbs. Here are two photos taken within seconds of each other:

This is a good reminder of the importance of always taking two photos, as close together as you can. (If that orb looks familiar, it’s because we’ve photographed it before. From a slightly different angle, it’s in the photo in my article, Gilson Road Cemetery – ghost orbs return 6/02.)

Who Were These People…?

Rufus Lawrence – like many people interred in this isolated cemetery – has been difficult to find in any records of the era. Despite numerous records for other members of the Lawrence (or Laurence) family, and generally good census records (at least for adult males), Rufus and several others in Gilson remain elusive.

At first glance, it seems like Gilson’s Rufus Lawrence was probably related to Samuel Laurence who married Betsy Thyng (or Tyng) and named a son Rufus in 1815. In the Nashua/Tyngsborough area, that seems likely.

Well, maybe.

The problem is, here’s another Rufus Lawrence, courtesy of Ancestry.com’s records:

Rufus Lawrence

That Rufus Lawrence may have been the second Rufus born to Henry Lawrence and Sally (or Salley) Simonds Lawrence. (The first was born in August 1813.)

But… that’s not a perfect match for the grave, and I suspect Gilson’s Rufus Lawrence was from Epping, NH, and the son of – or closely related to – David & Anna Lawrence.

Here are other Rufus Lawrences that might help us identify the correct one, also courtesy of Ancestry.com:

For now, I’m adding this research to my “to-do” list. Rufus is intriguing, but – at the moment – other research projects are a higher priority for me.

But this is important: We’re not sure why the people in Gilson Cemetery were buried there rather than in the old burial ground in the middle of town. (Today, that’s by the shopping center at Daniel Webster Highway near Spit Brook Road. That cemetery is nicknamed “Schoolhouse Cemetery.”)

Haunted Cemetery Walls?

Another note about Gilson: One of our group noticed that the back wall of the cemetery appears to include pieces of broken headstones. When you visit, take a close look at the shapes of the stones, and – amid the usual round-ish rocks and boulders – you’ll see several slabs of stone.

If those really are pieces of headstone, I’m not surprised that the back wall of this cemetery is one of the most haunted areas in a profoundly eerie graveyard.

Book - Ghost Hunting in Haunted Cemeteries

Also, outside the wall just south of the gate, we noticed several pieces of headstones, as well. I’m not sure why these suddenly became obvious, but they indicate another area for research.

As a guideline, any time you see graves, monuments, or pieces of headstones near (but outside) a cemetery, check it for anomalies.

Those are often the graves of “sinners” who couldn’t be buried in hallowed ground.

Whether or not they were unjustly accused of crimes and mortal sins, these spirits often return to haunt their remains.

Perhaps to them, being shunned after death isn’t the final word, after all.

Brennan’s Restaurant in New Orleans – Ghostly Ecto?

When there’s a normal explanation for a photo, I want to find it. Sometimes, I can’t discover a good explanation—not one that works for the setting and the circumstances, that is.

That’s the case with this photo at Brennan’s Restaurant on Royal Street in New Orleans’ French Quarter. The ecto-like form wasn’t visible to the naked eye. I only took the photo because I felt prompted to, and felt a little silly doing so.

Orb in the sky over Brennan's restaurant in NOLA — Light on nearby trees? Fine. Light hovering over the restaurant? Weird.

I’ve written about Brennan’s Red Room ghosts. The photo above is completely unedited. (The quality isn’t great because I hadn’t expected to take a photo and only had my small, old camera with me.)

That picture was oneof several I took late in July 2005, shortly before Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, wreaking horrific damage throughout the area.

It was a clear night, drier than most July nights in Louisiana. However, because it was July, I’m discounting the small orbs near the light-colored area, since they could be the result of humidity.

Instead, I’m baffled by the light area itself.

It was too hot to be using a fireplace, and Brennan’s kitchen was in another part of the building and fully enclosed. There was no mist above Brennan’s, so that’s not a reflection of the street lights.

In fact, we didn’t see anything unusual when I took this picture. It was one of those ‘gut feeling’ photos… that innate, perhaps intuitive feeling that something would show up if I took a few pictures.

We were across the street from Brennan’s, so my flash was too far away to highlight the air above the restaurant.

There were no skylights or spotlights that night, either.

If the light area were caused by something natural, we should have seen this ecto-looking area ourselves.

So, I’m not sure what the light area is. It’s almost directly above the room where, years ago, workmen in Brennan’s saw a terrifying face outside the window. (Those burly workmen were so frightened, they ran down the stairs and broke out through the locked doors. They never returned to Brennan’s.)

Sometimes, anomalies in photos are simply odd.

There may be an explanation for this picture, but we can’t be sure. For every ‘normal’ explanation, at least three of us can argue convincingly that the normal explanation doesn’t fit the time, location, and conditions of the photo.

I’m reluctant to label this NOLA anomaly ‘ecto’ because it could be something else. However, it’s the subtle kind of image that’s easily overlooked when you’re expecting orbs, a vortex, or something more dramatic.

For many of us, these subtle anomalies can be more interesting than the obvious ones.

MORE RESOURCES

Brennan’s “Red Room” ghosts (article)

And one of my podcasts about New Orleans’ French Quarter…

Portland, Maine – Bailey Cemetery’s Ghosts

Bailey Cemetery - daytime Bailey Cemetery in Portland, Maine, has all the ingredients of a good, haunted cemetery. It has a Colonial history, unmarked graves, and some neglected plots.

The location is great for Portland ghost enthusiasts who prefer sites that can be reached on foot or via Metro, local public transportation.)

Unfortunately, the cemetery’s location also makes it less desirable for research: It’s on a busy street and next to an active fire station.

All in all, I recommend this site for casual, repeated research. It’s the kind of location that tends to become more clearly haunted with repeated visits.

Sites like these tend to respond well to familiar visitors. In my opinion, the energy appears to organize itself and increase when the spirits realize that they’re getting attention.

[The area around Bailey Cemetery was recommended by Danielle of Portland, Maine.]

AT DUSK

A couple of us investigated this site. Our first visit was at dusk. The site has a slightly eerie feeling, but nothing truly scary.

Two gravestones with pointing fingers reminded us of the legendary grave of Abel Blood, so we took a few photos. The results were surprising.

The first photo revealed no orbs, just a few reflections.

The second photo included several.

Bailey Cemetery - orbs

I usually dismiss orbs in photos with obvious lights in the background. When we see so many orbs, I’d also check humidity levels to rule out moisture, but it was a very dry evening.

Despite those factors, these two photos—taken just seconds apart—show such dramatic anomalies that I’m intrigued.

DAYTIME RESEARCH

We returned the next day for additional research. These were our results:

Unmarked graves – Numerous irregularities in the cemetery suggest unmarked graves (depressions) and unmarked plots (raised beds) throughout the cemetery.

For further study: Burial records for Bailey Cemetery are maintained at Evergreen Cemetery, 672 Stevens Avenue, Portland, Maine 04101 – 207-797-4597

Compass anomalies – Needle swings in excess of 20 degrees throughout the cemetery.

Charles Howard headstone Dowsing rods – Several areas indicate energy surges. One followed a line, suggesting an underground spring. (Buried power lines are also possible, and indicated by a sign at the cemetery, but unlikely less than a foot from older graves.)

We noted the most consistent reaction about six feet north of Charles Howard’s small headstone. (That stone is more than halfway back in the cemetery, towards the middle.)

Charles Howard headstone - details

Location

Bailey Cemetery on Forest Avenue (Rte. 302) between Newton Street and Farnham Street (East of I-95)
Portland, Maine

Nearest parking: About half a block east on Forest Avenue.

Location, for GPS

Degrees Minutes Seconds:
Latitude: 434149N
Longitude: 0701831W

Decimal Degrees:
Latitude: 43.69694
Longitude: -70.30861

Spiritual Protection for Ghost Hunters

Spiritual protection for ghost hunters can be important.

Spiritual Protection for Ghost Hunters After all, we usually don’t know how dangerous a site is until we investigate it.

Arrive prepared, even if you think it will be a simple, casual investigation.

Three Questions to Ask

What protections have worked for people in the past, and which makes the most sense to you?
Does it fit with your own spirituality? (If something goes against your faith, don’t use it.)
Does it fit the spirituality of the ghosts? That is, what did they believe in – or fear – during their lifetimes?

Popular Protections

Garlic

Fresh garlic cloves are available at most grocery stores. Garlic not only repels werewolves and vampires, at least according to folklore, it’s also supposed to keep demons at a distance.

You can carry it in a pocket or your backpack. Some people have a clove in a pendant and wear it as a necklace.

If you tuck a garlic clove in your shoe and it’s against your skin, expect “garlic breath” within a few hours. It will penetrate the skin, enter your blood stream, and carry the odor throughout your body. That’s actually a way some people use garlic as a health treatment.

Salt

I use white salt, but it’s one of two kinds of salt for protection. (The other is black salt.)

White salt is everyday table salt. You probably have it in your kitchen, and you’ll find it in your clients’ kitchens. You can use any table salt, including pink salt and other specialized sea salts. In fact, I prefer sea salt, but others recommend Kosher salt and other specialized salts. In a pinch — pun intended — any salt can work.

People believe that salt repels ghosts and evil spirits. In fact, an old remedy from folklore is to lay down a line of salt… evil entities cannot cross it.

I’m not sure if that’s true, but it seemed to work the one time I tried it.

Black salt can be one of two kinds of salt. One is edible and the other isn’t.

One is a dark, pinkish, sulphur-y tasting salt mined in India. It’s usually sold in upscale grocery stores, among the exotic and colored table salts. It’s also stocked by some ethnic grocers. Vegans and vegetarians use it to make tofu taste like egg salad.

The other kind of black salt is made by mixing table salt with something to turn it black, like ash or powdered charcoal, cast iron scrapings, or really black pepper. People buy it ready-made, usually at a shop related to witchcraft or a botanica.

In Voodoo and related traditions, black salt may lift curses and repel evil and malicious spirits.

Never eat black salt. Do not give it to anyone to consume. Don’t leave it around where children might decide to taste it. Depending on what the black salt is made from, it could make them ill or even kill them.

Holy Water

Some people use Holy Water to bless houses that have very light (but annoying) paranormal activity.

Crucifix and Holy Water on a fireplace mantel. From what I’ve learned about demonic activity, I would use Holy Water only in situations where there is absolutely, positively no likelihood of malicious and demonic energy.

One thing I learned from the late Father Andrew Calder is: If you’re dealing with something dark and demonic, Holy Water can make things far worse… quickly.

Andy had more experience with demonology and exorcisms than most people, and I trust his advice. I wish I’d learned more from him while he was here, but his warning has stayed with me.

I used to routinely carry Holy Water with me. Also, at some websites, you can learn to make Holy Water at home, or even on-the-spot at a clients’ home. (The Holy Water you’ll decant at almost any mainstream, Christian church is a little different, and — in my opinion — more powerful.)

Since talking with Father Calder, I don’t use it at all. In my opinion, most ghost hunters don’t grasp the dangers of Holy Water — and other Christian symbols — if the problem is demonic.

I know that I didn’t.

First-person stories from John Zaffis and other demonologists made that very clear.

If the situation indicates the need for a house blessing, I tell the client to contact their preferred professional spiritual counsellor.

Most priests and ministers will expect a small donation to help offset their travel expenses, but it’s always worthwhile when a blessing is needed. And, to be blunt, it’s the safest approach.

Charms, amulets, and tokens

St. Michael the Archangel. Click image to download a printable version, and keep it in your wallet or backpack.

In non-demonic settings, spiritual objects, symbols, tokens, and scriptures seem to serve as protection.

Weirdly, that’s true, even when the person using them doesn’t believe in the associated spiritual tradition. I have no idea why.

It’s possible that the object symbolizes a religion that the ghost believed in, or still believes in.

These include holy medals (St. Michael medals are especially popular), pendants representing a lucky horseshoe, iron nails (may repel faeries more than ghosts), or a lucky rabbit’s foot (not widely used during ghost hunts, due to their association with animal cruelty and death).

Some ghost hunters wear “lucky socks” or a similar item of clothing. They firmly believe those items provide protection from evil… or at least bad luck.

Others wear a garment or piece of jewelry that was left outside on the night of February first or second. According to folklore, Brigid (or St. Bridget) blesses these items, making them especially lucky, healing, or protective during the coming year.

Liquor

In some folklore and spiritual traditions, pouring liquor on the ground as a gift is helpful if you’re requesting assistance or protection from the good spirits at the site.

On the other hand, offering liquor to some spirits in Vodun, Voodoo, and related traditions… that can bring out the mischief makers.

My ancestry and traditions are mostly Irish. When I really need help with something, I visit the grave of one particular ancestor, pour good Irish whiskey on the ground, and then have a one-sided chat with her, telling her what I need. It seems to work.

What I use

Quartz crystal Here’s what I carry: I have a couple of crystals in my wallet. One is a Herkimer diamond – the same kind used by “Ghost Busters” Dan Akroyd and his dad, to purify their Crystal Head Vodka.

Sometimes, I carry or wear hematite. Usually, I wear it as a pendant. (Mine is on a simple cord.) In folklore, it’s a general purifier. Does that actually work? I have no idea, but I like it as jewelry.

In my wallet, I have a St. Michael the Archangel medal, blessed by the late demonologist, Father Andrew Calder.

It’s been one of my most valued forms of protection since Andy was called home in September 2012. (Any priest can bless any medal you have. The combination of the St. Michael imagery plus the metal plus the blessing… that can be powerful in some contexts.)

In my car, I usually have blessed salt as well as religious scriptures. I use those only in extreme cases… and that’s very rare. I am very mindful that any case I consider “extreme” could be antagonized – and made worse – by any Christian symbols or scriptures. So, if the situation is that dire, I usually have the client contact a demonologist, or at least a local priest or minister.

Every community, ethnic group and spiritual tradition recommends different kinds of spiritual protection.

Whether those methods actually work or it’s “placebo effect” doesn’t matter to me, as long as (a) it’s not summoning an energy that could later be a problem, and (b) the people who are nervous feel they are out of danger due to that protection.

If you don’t believe in a particular religion but you’ve always wondered if one of their tokens or symbols might be helpful… well, it might be worth a try. (Research it, first. Some spiritual tokens or figures have both a “light” and “dark” side. Don’t make the mistake of accepting help from the spiritual equivalent of an unscrupulous protection racket.)

Protection doesn’t have to be grandiose, super-mystical, or performed with flourishes. It can be a small, mainstream token or gesture, and – to be frank – sometimes those are the very best option, if you might encounter something sinister.

Plan ahead

Spiritual protection can be important for some ghost hunters.

That can be a simple prayer or circle before entering the haunted site, or something else.

It doesn’t have to be an object (after all, what you’re dealing with probably has no physical form in our world), but these are things to think about before your investigation… not something to regret leaving out, once things get strange at a haunted site.

You may also be interested in these articles:

Possessed? Need help?
Exorcisms and Demons
Psychics: Maintaining Your Boundaries
If a Ghost Frightens You

York’s Cozy Ghosts at The Golden Fleece

If you’re looking for cozy ghosts, and orbs that seem to feel right at home, make York’s Golden Fleece Inn (and pub) your destination.

The Golden Fleece is where I’ve seen some of the best, most convincing ghost orbs.

Of course, orbs can appear anywhere.

Some seem to be floating or gliding energy forms.

Context is important.

I’ve heard reports from people who successfully asked orbs to move to certain locations for photos.

For example, when someone told the ghost to move the orb to a particular doorway or gravestone… it did.

(Generally, I ask ghosts to manifest however they can, if they’d like to appear in a photo. I’m uncomfortable with ordering them around.)

Predicting Orbs

During many years of studying ‘ghost photos’, I’ve noticed an odd pattern among many orbs. They appear in consistent places. The trend is so predictable, we believe it’s beyond coincidence.

In an unusual number of photos, I’ve seen orbs directly over people’s heads. In most cases, the photos were taken at a significant event (such as a wedding or prom) or a family gathering.

The lighting and setting don’t matter. If it’s a family gathering or major social event among long-time friends or associates, orbs often appear in the photos.

An Odd Orb at the Golden Fleece

At other times, orbs appear – in surprising numbers – over chairs, as if the ghost is sitting there.

What follows is one of my favorite examples.

A group of us – experienced ghost hunters – visited “York’s most haunted pub” in June 2007.

The skeleton and other visual cues weren’t there at that time. It just felt like a nice, cozy pub with delicious food and great prices.

But, after a few minutes inside, the pub had a certain eerie edge to it.

And, as seasoned ghost researchers, we tend to be somewhat skeptical. So, we sat, enjoyed our lunch, chatted, and took a few photos.

One surprised me.

My photo shows an orb ‘seated’ at the haunted Golden Fleece pub in York, England.

Because that restaurant has many shiny surfaces, I discounted other orbs from that casual investigation. Nevertheless, the placement of the one in the photo caught my attention.

Is it a credible photo? I’m not sure. I’d need more evidence.

Is the Golden Fleece haunted? I believe so, and I wish I’d spent more time there. On my next visit to that part of England, I’ll definitely want to spend a night or two at the Golden Fleece. (Haunted Happenings has been among the groups organizing vigils at the Golden Fleece.)

The Golden Fleece is a Different Kind of Haunted

My main impression was: Yes, it has that “spooky vibe” we notice at haunted sites. Its ghosts are well-documented, too.

But there was something else… something I can’t yet put into words. It was a different kind of haunted, if that makes sense.

Usually, when I use a phrase like that, it’s because I’m uneasy. Something troubles me, and it’s the kind of place where I’d take extra spiritual precautions.

But in the case of the Golden Fleece… well, that site really is different.

I’d expect spirits like the cheerful ghosts in the 1988 movie, High Spirits… and perhaps a few truly creepy and unearthly spirits, as well.

In general, I believe the Golden Fleece is one of York’s most intriguing haunted locations. Whatever haunts the site, it’s unusual, even for York, one of England’s more haunted cities.

Haunted York Videos

Here’s a quirky (and slightly silly) four-minute video about haunted York, including the Golden Fleece.

Haunted York

York, England has been called the most haunted city in all of Europe. see more about WTHR’s Scott Swan’s story here: http://www.wthr.com/story/19191664/engla…

That YouTube video of haunted York is at: https://youtu.be/L_0KHH7_6NM

And another video of a Golden Fleece investigation.

YouTube URL - https://youtu.be/Q-GihuTQ3W8

The Orb-Ghost Connection

Are orbs proof of ghosts?

The context is important.

For example, if other odd things were going on, exactly when the photos were taken. Or, if someone – without knowing where an orb was hovering, in a photo or video – directly indicated something else “ghostly” at the exact same place and time.

In other words, orbs may be one of those “you had to be there” phenomena. Out of context, it’s difficult for others to take orbs seriously.

I understand that, and it’s frustrating.

Personal evidence can be the most personally convincing… and have the least credibility when you talk about it later.

So, What Are Orbs?

To be honest, I don’t know what orbs are.

Professionals check for normal, natural explanation. Those include humidity, dust, reflected light, and so on.

In 2013, after several years of intense study, I concluded that humidity, dust, reflected light, and other apparently reasonable explanations rarely cause convincing orbs in photos.

But, for over 10 years, I claimed that most orbs were the result of natural phenomena, reflective objects, and so on.

Well, they’re not.

Yes, that’s an embarrassing admission. I wouldn’t admit to it, except my tests have shown, conclusively, that most convincing orbs really are anomalous.

So far, ghost hunters recognized that:

Orbs appear in haunted places in dramatically higher numbers.
Orbs seem to appear in areas where EMF levels spike.
The actual orbs may contain higher levels of energy.

But are they ghosts? I’m not ready to claim that.

Some People See Orbs

A small – perhaps gifted – minority of researchers are able to see orbs in real life. However, the orbs that they see don’t usually appear in photos taken at the same time.

In most cases, researchers don’t see anything before, during and after taking photos that – when viewed on the monitor or printed – reveal orbs.

I’ll admit I’m still astonished when investigators see vivid orbs in photos, though we saw nothing unusual when the photos were taken.

Sparkles and Ghost Orbs

Years ago, I was the first ghost hunters to use the term ‘sparkles‘ to describe an odd visual effect that occurs with some cameras.

When people see sparkles, we usually find orbs or other photographic anomalies in our pictures.

Are Orbs Aware of Us?

Ghost hunters aren’t sure if orbs are related to spirits that are aware of us and can respond to the people around them.

However, we’ve seen enough ‘ghost photos’ to know that orbs often appear in similar locations, as if they’re comfortable among us.

Whether they’re posing for group photos or sitting comfortably in a favorite chair, the placement often seems deliberate.

York, England, is just one of many haunted places where orbs seem quite at home. When you research there, be sure to take photos of chairs, stools, benches, and so on.

To me, it seemed like the orbs were pulling up a chair and joining the party.

Stratford-upon-Avon – The Falcon’s Haunted Bedroom

Here’s my experience…

The Falcon Hotel (Stratford-upon-Avon) – now the Hotel Indigo – was haunted when friends and I stayed there in 2007. It’s one of Warwickshire’s most charming hotels, with 20 rooms in its haunted 16th-century wing, and 64 rooms in the more modern wing.

In June 2007, several Hollow Hill investigators spent the night in the haunted wing of the Falcon. It was comfortable and quiet, even though our rooms overlooked the street.

Though we had a good night’s sleep, we encountered a variety of low-level paranormal phenomena. Odd noises, unexplained chills, creaking floorboards with no one there… it was routine for a cozy, haunted hotel. And, it was fun!

However, we’d heard that one room at the hotel is especially haunted. It’s a corner room in the 16th century wing.

It was one of the silliest hauntings I’ve seen in awhile… but, the UK is like that. It has the widest possible range of ghostly phenomena. (I absolutely love investigating in the UK, and especially in England.)

We were lucky to have brief access to the hotel’s most haunted room.

The room with the “broken air conditioning”… that wasn’t

Our adventure began when I was in the lobby and overheard a guest talking about how chilly his room had been.

He complained that he couldn’t find the air conditioning controls.

The hotel moved him to another room, and his previous (chilly) room had been prepared for new guests.

But…

One of the hotel clerks quietly explained to us why the guest couldn’t find the a/c controls: There was no air conditioning in that room.

We rushed to see if the door to that room was still vacant, and if the door had been left open.

It was.

A five-minute investigation

Our team had just a few minutes to explore the room. It seemed elegant and very comfortable.

Our EMF readings and pendulum work – as well as our ‘gut feelings’ – indicated that the bed was the focal point of the hauntings.

The bed seemed to have a ‘hot spot’ over the center of it.

It’s unlikely that the bed itself is haunted. But, if that’s an antique bed frame, the bed (not the mattress) might have its own ghost.

(If anything tragic happens in a bed, such as a death, hotels generally replace the bed immediately. Some even close the room for a week or so, as a precaution. The Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas went to extremes with one room they sealed up for years.)

Also, in Stratford-upon-Avon’s Falcon Hotel, an earlier bed in the room might be where something – or several events over the past 400+ years – left an imprint.

Just as ghosts don’t always realize that time has passed, they may not realize that the current bed is different from the one that they slept in, centuries ago.

And so we took photos

We each took photos of the bed. I took several with my film camera and at least a dozen with my digital camera.

That’s when this story turned silly.

Only one of my digital photos of the bed shows the bed. That’s it, above.

All the rest show random corners of the room… the kinds of photos I take, but not in the volume that showed up when I had time to go through my camera’s files.

(I routinely take “extra” photos, in case an orb is hovering in a corner. But, in a case like this, every moment was important. I wasn’t going to waste time. Almost all of my attention was on the object most likely to be haunted… and that was the bed.)

The following represent nearly every digital photo from that room. (The film photos were dark or weird, and pretty much useless to me.)

Falcon Hotel, another corner of the haunted room

Falcon hotel - one corner of the room

I know took five or six photos of a team member using a pendulum. At the time, I was sure I was being annoying, insisting, “Wait… wait… just one more picture…”

Also, in at least one photo, I focused on my own hand (holding an EMF meter). In that one, I’d made sure both the meter and the bed were in the frame.

But… my pictures showed almost everything but the bed.

It’s not a dangerous haunting.

It’s not a malicious haunting. What happened – the camera anomalies – are typical of a prankster ghost, possibly a child.

It was certainly an unusual experience. Annoying at the time, because – when I had a few minutes to review the photos and saw what had happened – we couldn’t return to the room. The housekeepers had locked it as we left.

I wouldn’t hesitate to spend the night in that room, and I’m fairly sure that I’d get a good night’s sleep.

However, I’d be sure to have enough blankets on the bed, in case the room seemed as chilly as described by the previous guest.

That guest’s innocent comments about the air conditioning convinced me that the room is haunted.

In fact, in early June 2007, the Falcon Hotel didn’t have air conditioning. The guest was describing a large ‘cold spot’ around the bed.

(Of course, if it’s a sultry night, that’s probably the room you’ll want to be in. So, ask the concierge for information about the hotel’s most haunted room.)

This is a good example of how ghost hunters sometimes find haunted locations: We listen (overhear) others’ conversations about odd and unusual things. If it’s something that could be ghostly – like a “cold spot” – we follow-up, if we can.

Next time I’m in Stratford-upon-Avon, I’ll be sure to follow-up and – I hope – spend at least one night in that same room.

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